Quin Snyder

LOOK AHEAD: A second-rounder between Kentucky and Utah would rematch the programs that met in the 1998 national championship game. It would also be Utes coach Rick Majerus' worst nightmare. In addition to beating Utah in '98, Kentucky eliminated Majerus' team in 1993, '96 and '97. Missouri- Marquette in Round 2 would be a GQ Special with coaches Tom Crean of Marquette and Quin Snyder of Mizzou. Who uses the most expensive styling gel? Only their hairdressers know for sure. HANDS OFF: Big Ten regular-season champion Wisconsin commits a national-low 14.8 fouls per game.

LOOK AHEAD: A second-rounder between Kentucky and Utah would rematch the programs that met in the 1998 national championship game. It would also be Utes coach Rick Majerus' worst nightmare. In addition to beating Utah in '98, Kentucky eliminated Majerus' team in 1993, '96 and '97. Missouri- Marquette in Round 2 would be a GQ Special with coaches Tom Crean of Marquette and Quin Snyder of Mizzou. Who uses the most expensive styling gel? Only their hairdressers know for sure. HANDS OFF: Big Ten regular-season champion Wisconsin commits a national-low 14.8 fouls per game.

The coach calls the player, "My little brother." The player says that the coach "taught me and gave me guidance on the court and friendship off of it." Chuck Swenson, the coach, and Quin Snyder, the player, will go to their graves loving one another. They haven't seen each other since early April in Seattle. Snyder and the rest of the Duke Blue Devils played in the NCAA Final Four. Swenson, the William and Mary coach and the man who recruited him as an assistant at Duke, was there for the national coaches' convention.

The subplot is irrestistible. Mike Krzyzewski versus Quin Snyder. Mentor versus protege. Duke versus Missouri. The NCAA Tournament. Fans, newspaper hacks and CBS executives live for coaching encounters such as this. Too bad it's hell for the people involved. "I would choose not to play Quin's team at any time," Krzyzewski said on the eve of today's second- round East Region game at Greensboro Coliseum. "Quin is like a part of my family and I feel like a part of his family.

It began as a showcase for the national player of the year and an apparent championship game for the hometown kid. It ended in a rush of Seton Hall momentum. Seton Hall overcame an 18-point first-half deficit and steamrolled favored Duke 95-78 in an NCAA semifinal Saturday at the Kingdome. The Pirates (31-6) advance to the national championship game against Michigan (29-7), an 83-81 winner over Illinois, Monday night. Seton Hall put together a remarkable second half at both ends of the floor.

The subplot is irrestistible. Mike Krzyzewski versus Quin Snyder. Mentor versus protege. Duke versus Missouri. The NCAA Tournament. Fans, newspaper hacks and CBS executives live for coaching encounters such as this. Too bad it's hell for the people involved. "I would choose not to play Quin's team at any time," Krzyzewski said on the eve of today's second- round East Region game at Greensboro Coliseum. "Quin is like a part of my family and I feel like a part of his family.

Point guard Quin Snyder is Duke's most-cited liability; he's shooting 41.9 percent; he's not a flashy passer or a gazelle on the fast break. Mediocre players - Georgia Tech's Craig Neal last year flashes to mind - have made him look bad. Very bad. Yet, Snyder has been the starting point guard on two consecutive Final Four teams. How? Okay, having All-America forward Danny Ferry around the last two seasons has erased plenty of mistakes. But there must be something else. Few basketball teams thrive without a quality point guard.

If Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski appeared misty-eyed during his television interview after the Blue Devils' East Regional championship Sunday, you should have seen him moments before. As his players jockeyed for position around the cameras, Krzyzewski tried mightily to compose himself. He rubbed his eyes and took several deep breaths. This was not the Krzyzewski who coached Duke to East titles in 1986 and '88. "This team has been through more," Krzyzewski said later. "That makes this one a little sweeter."

The signs were always there. Not only did he grow up as the son of a basketball coach, he was considered a coach on the floor during his playing days at Duke. And while his teammates were spending their off hours elsewhere, he could be found in the coaches' office talking strategy. Jeff Capel III always wanted to play for his father, but that didn't happen. Now, he is joining Jeff Capel's coaching staff at Old Dominion, embarking on the career many predicted for him. "It was something I always had in the back of my mind," Capel III said.

Duke's basketball team is weary. West Virginia's man-to-man defense is withering. And that intriguing combination headlines the second round of the NCAA East Regional today at Greensboro Coliseum. The second-seeded Blue Devils (25-7) face the seventh-seeded Mountaineers (26-4) at 12:07 p.m, followed by 11th-seeded Minnesota (18-11) versus 13th-seeded Siena (25-4), an upset winner over Stanford in Thursday's first round. Duke, which lost in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final Sunday, will be playing its fifth game in 10 days.

The signs were always there. Not only did he grow up as the son of a basketball coach, he was considered a coach on the floor during his playing days at Duke. And while his teammates were spending their off hours elsewhere, he could be found in the coaches' office talking strategy. Jeff Capel III always wanted to play for his father, but that didn't happen. Now, he is joining Jeff Capel's coaching staff at Old Dominion, embarking on the career many predicted for him. "It was something I always had in the back of my mind," Capel III said.

Mike Krzyzewski began the meeting with an edict: Go 4-for-4. Recruit four prospects, he told assistant coaches Quin Snyder and Tommy Amaker, and sign all four. No excuses. No Plan Bs. "Obviously, it was a gutsy move," Amaker says. "But Coach K's made more than his share." This one worked. Duke's basketball program devoted all of its recruiting resources last fall to four touted high school players - Shane Battier of Birmingham, Mich., Elton Brand of Peekskill, N.Y., William Avery of Augusta, Ga., and Chris Burgess of Irvine, Calif.

The coach calls the player, "My little brother." The player says that the coach "taught me and gave me guidance on the court and friendship off of it." Chuck Swenson, the coach, and Quin Snyder, the player, will go to their graves loving one another. They haven't seen each other since early April in Seattle. Snyder and the rest of the Duke Blue Devils played in the NCAA Final Four. Swenson, the William and Mary coach and the man who recruited him as an assistant at Duke, was there for the national coaches' convention.

It began as a showcase for the national player of the year and an apparent championship game for the hometown kid. It ended in a rush of Seton Hall momentum. Seton Hall overcame an 18-point first-half deficit and steamrolled favored Duke 95-78 in an NCAA semifinal Saturday at the Kingdome. The Pirates (31-6) advance to the national championship game against Michigan (29-7), an 83-81 winner over Illinois, Monday night. Seton Hall put together a remarkable second half at both ends of the floor.

Point guard Quin Snyder is Duke's most-cited liability; he's shooting 41.9 percent; he's not a flashy passer or a gazelle on the fast break. Mediocre players - Georgia Tech's Craig Neal last year flashes to mind - have made him look bad. Very bad. Yet, Snyder has been the starting point guard on two consecutive Final Four teams. How? Okay, having All-America forward Danny Ferry around the last two seasons has erased plenty of mistakes. But there must be something else. Few basketball teams thrive without a quality point guard.

If Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski appeared misty-eyed during his television interview after the Blue Devils' East Regional championship Sunday, you should have seen him moments before. As his players jockeyed for position around the cameras, Krzyzewski tried mightily to compose himself. He rubbed his eyes and took several deep breaths. This was not the Krzyzewski who coached Duke to East titles in 1986 and '88. "This team has been through more," Krzyzewski said later. "That makes this one a little sweeter."

Other than North Carolina, Wake Forest gave Duke more fits than any other ACC opponent this season. And the primary culprit was freshman point guard Derrick McQueen. But Friday the Blue Devils neutralized McQueen's quickness and coasted to an 88-64 victory in the first round of the ACC tournament at the Omni. Duke, 23-6, second-seeded in the tournament and seventh-ranked nationally, plays in today's second semifinal against the winner of Thursday's late game between Clemson and Virginia.

Mike Krzyzewski began the meeting with an edict: Go 4-for-4. Recruit four prospects, he told assistant coaches Quin Snyder and Tommy Amaker, and sign all four. No excuses. No Plan Bs. "Obviously, it was a gutsy move," Amaker says. "But Coach K's made more than his share." This one worked. Duke's basketball program devoted all of its recruiting resources last fall to four touted high school players - Shane Battier of Birmingham, Mich., Elton Brand of Peekskill, N.Y., William Avery of Augusta, Ga., and Chris Burgess of Irvine, Calif.

Duke's basketball team is weary. West Virginia's man-to-man defense is withering. And that intriguing combination headlines the second round of the NCAA East Regional today at Greensboro Coliseum. The second-seeded Blue Devils (25-7) face the seventh-seeded Mountaineers (26-4) at 12:07 p.m, followed by 11th-seeded Minnesota (18-11) versus 13th-seeded Siena (25-4), an upset winner over Stanford in Thursday's first round. Duke, which lost in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final Sunday, will be playing its fifth game in 10 days.

The knock against North Carolina's basketball team is that it is emotionless: a bunch of heartless automatons coldly manipulated by Coach Dean Smith's wand. But there was King Rice jumping in the air, fist pumping, after sinking two critical free throws in the final 30 seconds of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. There were Rick Fox and Jeff Lebo hugging and willing two Steve Bucknall free throws into the basket with 20 seconds left. And there were the smiles as each Tar Heel took turns cutting down the nets after they had survived Duke's game-long intensity and Danny Ferry's desperation, 70-foot 3-point attempt at the buzzer for a 77-74 victory Sunday at the Omni.